There are still many millions of idiotic Americans that feel that alcohol is sinful and should be prohibited, or that beer can destroy a teenager's life. Never mind the basic falacy of the argument, but they don't even make the difference between beer and hard booze.

The drinking age should be set in accordance to the age you can get a driving license. As people naturally tend to binge-drink as soon as they can, but tend to grow out of that habit after a year or so, when they've "learned" to drink, The driving age should be set 2 years after the drinking age.

I'm a non-drinker and am very anti-alcohol (Bad family experiences) however I think the drinking age should be dropped to 18. I have a real issue with being able to serve your country but not being able to drink.

If you are 18-20 are you are active duty military, you should be able to drink. When I was stationed in SAN, you could drink on the base if you were 18-20, this was an attempt to keep 18-20 year olds from going to Tijuana. If you are merely 18-20 and using the "old enough to die, but too young to drink" complaint while you are off at college, then go enlist. Otherwise, order another Shirley Temple.

Don't give me the "old enough to fight, old enough to drink" bullshit, since half of you out there would try to get out of a draft quicker than a mouse being chased by a cat.

Now, back to the issue at hand, I agree. The alcohol age should be lowered. People do it anyway, and because it's illegal to do it under 21, I think a lot binge on it or do it more than they would if it was legal, which leads to bad decisions.

As for the military base thing. I'm pretty sure it all depends on the Wing Commander. Generally, at most bases the age is 21. But at certain bases, like ones close to Mexico, they've lowered the drinking age on base to prevent people from going to Mexico and getting trashed and getting in trouble down there.

Actually, many states lowered the drinking age to 18 during the late 60s and early 70s in response to the argument of 18-20 year olds being old enough to fight in Vietnam but not old enough to drink or vote. Side note: the 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age to 18.

Actually what prompted states to raise their drinking ages again in the late '70s and early '80s was actually due to the rash of drunk driving accidents involving teenagers that took place during that time. To add insult to injury, many states in the '70s still had very lenient drunk driving laws.

The Feds mandating that states raise their ages to 21 was in response to people border-hopping to legally purchase and drink alcohol and then drinking and driving on the way home.

"TransEastern! You'll feel like you've never left the ground because we treat you like dirt!" SNL Parady ad circa 1981

I thought it sucked when I was in the Army, when I was on post I could drink in the EM club at 18, but when I went home on leave to WA State I was screwed. I think the drinking age should be the same as the voting age. Kinda odd that a person who cannot legally drink can vote on laws that might have impact on liquor laws...

Here's an idea - Anyone with a valid military ID is exempt from any drinking age laws. Let it be a little nod of respect to those in uniform that they most likely are a bit more mature than the average 19 year old.

Of course, any misuse of that privilege would mean military discipline...

I spent 24 years in the US Army . . . this bullsh!t change in the drinking age came about 15 years ago. The military changed the drinking age on their installations to match the local state drinking ages.

I think it's pure bull . . . if you can go in to combat and risk your life, you damn sure should be able to slam back a shot of JD or whatever serves your fancy.

I'll tell you this - never, even after I put the "heavy hardware" on my collar, did I ever refuse a drink to a soldier.

The rule in the various states should be amended to allow any military personnel the right to legally drink....it should also be enacted that all military personnel are given one free pass from the local constabulary when they are caught in a local den of iniquity.

I think Louisiana has been the state pushing hardest to get the age down to 18, but they just get threatened with losing the highway money.
Yea, I can understand their desire to get the age lowered...New Orleans is a mecca for college students, not only at mardi gras time but throughout the year.
The talk about how highway funding was connected a state's drinking age got me thinking...I wonder if the extra revenue that a state like Louisiana would get from lowering the drinking age to 18 would offset the highway funding that they would lose. Putting aside all political correctness issues about being the only state to lower their drinking age, I think a state like Louisiana (with New Orleans) or Nevada (with Vegas) would make a ton of revenue if they lowered their drinking age to 18 to entice younger people to visit more.
A lot of friends that I know who go to school in Michigan make regular trips to Windsor Canada since the age is 19 there...I'm not sure if it really does anything major to help Windsor's economy that they get a lot of midwest college students visiting, but it must be something.